1
as in assaulted
to take sudden, violent action against
our dog unexpectedly attacked the mailman, sinking his teeth into the startled man's leg
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slammed
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
the mayor and all his aides were attacked mercilessly in the press when the scandal erupted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tackled
to start work on energetically
Courtney attacked the huge mess in her room with determination and enthusiasm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of attacked
Workers who were motivated by their belief in public service are being attacked on a daily basis.
—
Gary Phelan, Hartford Courant, 24 Mar. 2025
The conflict began after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
The Spartans’ top-five defense slowed New Mexico’s blistering pace and attacked the paint on the opposite end.
—Justin Williams, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
As the graph below shows, Bournemouth have primarily attacked down their left flank this season, with the axis between Dean Huijsen at left centre-back, wing-back Kerkez and winger Antoine Semenyo proving crucial.
—Carl Anka, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Canada attacked more fervently afterwards .
—Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
By the way, it was attacked from the Pentagon and from the White House as being fake news that this was going to happen and Elon Musk denounced the leak.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2025
This was a departure from Mourinho and Conte, who both moaned about investment, attacked the club culture, exited unceremoniously, and bad-mouthed them afterward.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
These reporters at the Gazette and the Democrat witnessed first-hand how white mobs attacked Black citizens.
—Christmaelle Vernet & Kathy Roberts Forde / Made By History, TIME, 28 Feb. 2025
Gary Phelan, Hartford Courant, 24 Mar. 2025
The conflict began after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
The Spartans’ top-five defense slowed New Mexico’s blistering pace and attacked the paint on the opposite end.
—Justin Williams, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
As the graph below shows, Bournemouth have primarily attacked down their left flank this season, with the axis between Dean Huijsen at left centre-back, wing-back Kerkez and winger Antoine Semenyo proving crucial.
—Carl Anka, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Canada attacked more fervently afterwards .
—Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
By the way, it was attacked from the Pentagon and from the White House as being fake news that this was going to happen and Elon Musk denounced the leak.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2025
This was a departure from Mourinho and Conte, who both moaned about investment, attacked the club culture, exited unceremoniously, and bad-mouthed them afterward.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
These reporters at the Gazette and the Democrat witnessed first-hand how white mobs attacked Black citizens.
—Christmaelle Vernet & Kathy Roberts Forde / Made By History, TIME, 28 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attacked
Verb
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Shaken after being assaulted by a patient, Dana ends her shift by taking down the family photos she’s taped around her workstation.—
Kristen Baldwin,
EW.com,
11 Apr. 2025
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Men broke into an Arizona resort room, assaulted a man and kidnapped a woman, police said.—
Helena Wegner,
Sacbee.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Councilmember Bob Holden slammed Hochul for this, arguing that the city and state simply need to enforce existing laws instead of changing them.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
3 Jan. 2025
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The statement sparked outrage with GOP lawmakers, who slammed Allstate for not explicitly condemning terrorism.—
Jackson Walker,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Skeletor is a legendary comic book villain, but nothing Leto hasn't tackled before.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
21 Dec. 2024
-
Angel tackled darker themes than its predecessor while still maintaining the quippy lightness that makes Joss Whedon’s masterpieces, well, masterpieces.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
21 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Troops raided Kamal Adwan in October, and on Tuesday troops stormed and evacuated the Indonesian Hospital.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2024
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Israeli forces previously raided Kamal Adwan in October and stormed the Indonesian Hospital earlier this week, forcing its evacuation.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In the filing, the three dancers claimed they were abused, harassed, discriminated against and faced numerous workplace violations while working for the Grammy winner and her Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Wood said that since the charges were announced, more people had come forward alleging they were also abused by Deutsch.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But the photos in that email, from camera traps in the Andes mountains, struck him as different.—
Jonathan Lambert,
NPR,
31 Dec. 2024
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Puerto Rico continues to struggle with chronic power outages blamed on a crumbling power grid that was razed by Hurricane Maria, a powerful category 4 storm that struck the island in September 2017.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Mounting concerns When Hurricane Irma blasted through the state’s orange belt in 2017, Florida’s signature crop already had been on a downward spiral for two decades because of the greening disease.—
Mike Schneider,
Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2025
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The geologist found the slab in 2002, realized it was covered in dinosaur tracks and saved it from being blasted.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Prosecutors in the first four months of 2024 pursued nearly 19,000 soldiers, who either abandoned their posts or deserted, according to the Ukrainian parliament.—
Kevin Lynn,
Newsweek,
8 Jan. 2025
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While Tanner Scott is atop their list, and the club pursued a trade of Devin Williams, there is still a multitude of options available.—
Fabian Ardaya,
The Athletic,
8 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Attacked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attacked. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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